matplotlib-users Mailing List for matplotlib (Page 4)

I am trying to create a multipage pdf of about 750 different graphs.
Each graph has around 5,000 - 15,000 data points, giving me roughly 7
million points across the pdf. I make it in a large pdf with a page length
of about 20 inches, and then plot about 10 graphs to a page. So I end up
with basically 75 pages in my pdf. I'm basically trying to graph a line of
XY data points.
The problem, is the pdf is unbearably slow when plotting as a scatter plot
or as a line with markers.
If I make a regular line plot, with no markers, just a single line, it is
plotted and the pdf is fine. But then it connects my points which I don't
want. 
I assume this is all because its making the pdf in vector format. And when
I convert it to single lines, I only have ~750 line vectors. But when I try
to scatter plot, or line plot with markers, I end up with millions of
vectors.
I've tried the 'rasterized=True' and that definitely works. But the quality
is really bad. I need to be able to zoom in close on the pdf and still see
rough resolution of the points. 
For clarity, I don't actually need to see each individual points. The
graphs have two lines on them, and I just need to be able to distinguish
between the two lines. The two lines are just made up of thousands of
points each.
Is there anyway to keep scalable vectors and do this? Or will I just be
forced to go to a rasterized image file in order to load the pdf in a
reasonable time.
Thanks.
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Dear all,
> Is there any good reason to move to the "native" mpl api and drop pyplot?
I notice I don't even understand this question, but I'd like to. From
http://matplotlib.org/faq/usage_faq.html#matplotlib-pylab-and-pyplot-how-are-they-related,
I see the difference between *pylab* and the pyplot module. But what
would be "the" native mpl api? How would you create a figure as in
"fig = plt.figure()", but without pyplot? If this is explained
anywhere in the docs, I haven't come across it.
Best,
Björn

99.9% of the time I am using pyplot, as it usually does what I want without me having to understand an api.
I don't care so much if pyplot agrees with matlab or not, but it should be something easy that new users can pick up quickly.
Best,
-Michiel
--------------------------------------------
On Wed, 4/30/14, Neal Becker <ndb...@gm...> wrote:
 Subject: [Matplotlib-users] Which api to learn?
 To: mat...@li...
 Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2014, 7:49 AM
 
 I've never used matlab (and hope
 never to have to). But I've been using pyplot 
 api for mpl for quite a while.
 
 Is there any good reason to move to the "native" mpl api and
 drop pyplot? I ask 
 because as I understand, pyplot is intended as a matlab
 workalike, and since I 
 never learned matlab I have no need for that crutch. 
 OTOH, I'm quite used to 
 the pyplot api at this point.
 
 
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